Jeffrey Blitz, director of the hit documentary "Spellbound," shifts over to narrative filmmaking with "Rocket Science."

The story centers on a high school loner struggling to overcome a speech disorder. He hopes that joining the debate team will cure his stuttering problem, not to mention help him get closer to his dream girl, a prodigy at the podium.

It may sound like an ideal match of premise and filmmaker, as Blitz moves from spelling bees to debate squads. Yet the movie is a disappointment, a deadpan comedy derivative of "Rushmore," "Napoleon Dynamite" and any number of indies about misfit teens.

The thing the film lacks -- besides originality -- is a character arc that keeps the audience interested. The hero, Hal Hefner (Reece Daniel Thompson), doesn't emerge a winner in the end, just a moderately more enlightened outcast. He bonds with the star of the debate team, Ginny (Anna Kendrick), but not on a romantic level.

"Rocket Science" is semi-autobiographical, based on Blitz's own experiences as a stutterer-turned-debater. The Ridgewood native was captain of his high school's team and during his senior year, he won a Jersey state championship. Rather than filtering his memories into an inspiring underdog story, Blitz actually downplays his achievements. His fictional alter-ego doesn't flourish in competition, nor does he find true love with Ginny.

Blitz offers quite an unflattering portrait of his home state. Set in Plainsboro but shot in Baltimore, the movie perpetuates the stereotype that New Jersey is a dreary sprawl of troubled kids and bad parents. The dialogue is spiked with mocking references to the Garden State, as if just the mention of Jersey is a cue for ironic laughter.

The debating scenes are highlights. Like "Spellbound," the film offers a glimpse into a word-oriented subculture. Discussing complex subjects with a time clock ticking, characters gush verbiage at warp speed, arguing the finer points of farm subsidies and school abstinence programs.

Eighties nostalgists will appreciate the ways in which songs by the Violent Femmes are incorporated into the story. At one point, fighting parents practice music therapy, playing a jaunty version of the dark anthem "Add It Up" on piano.

The protagonist evolves in subtle ways, as Thompson delivers an understated performance that belies his limited screen resume. There isn't a single defining triumph that transforms Hal from an insecure kid into a confident young adult. The film takes small, tentative steps toward a bittersweet conclusion, which may be true to life, but it's slow to follow.

If you view "Rocket Science" within the context of Blitz's career, it does have a certain measure of optimism. The movie itself is proof that he has conquered his childhood anxieties and found a way to communicate. Now that he's got all that angst out of his system, Blitz can work on honing his voice, finding a way to distinguish himself amid a crowded field of introspective Gen X directors.